Hawaiian mat surfer, Tony Lum

"Anonymous" left the following as a comment to a previous post.



I thought it deserved it own post.



Thanks Anonymous, feel free to contribute any time.




"From experienced Hawaiian mat surfer, Tony Lum:



Sitting on the shore, staring out to sea, preparing to return to Mother Nature's womb. Meditating on the rhythm of the swells as they ascend and descend in time with the measure of the ocean floor.



The melodies of the waves drown out all negative energy. The sound ofbreathing reverberates everywhere.



Waves created by a far-off wind, Mother Nature's breath. Air expelled from human lungs, breathing life into this inflatable wave-riding craft. The breath of life pulled deep and pushed long. It is meditation. Zen.



Surfing. Gliding on the liquid manifestation of cyclical energy created by a distant breath. This is a spiritual dance that has long,deep Polynesian roots.



Alien missionaries deemed surfing to be a sinful pastime of backward heathens, but for the Hawaiians, it was sacred. Breath was also sacred. It is the essence of life. Mana.



In Hawaiian culture, people would greet one another by standing face to face and simultaneously inhaling and exhaling each other's breath.



What would the ancients think of mat-surfing? Using the Mana of one's breath to perform the spiritual act of surfing on a wave formed by the energy of nature's own breath.



No wonder these surf mats feel so alive! There is some powerful magic going on here.



All things considered, it's funny to hear people refer to surf mats as just another pool toy. I can see how some might be offended. Perhaps it's all just nonsense. Don't spend too much time thinking about it.



Take a deep breath, let go and the surfmat will show you the way.



Aloha."

Comments

Anonymous said…
So funny! Hey you are pushin' the limits of fun on your trip. Cool!

-pushingtide
KYScoast said…
Very cool blog! I love hearing about and being reminded of other ways to ride waves. I realize the mats you ride now are vastly different than the ones I used when I was a kid in the late 1950's, but I get it completely. I learned to ride waves on small inflatable rafts (what we called them then) and then picked up surfing (standing on a board). I love riding waves still and never thought the thrill would last a lifetime. Keep it up. I'll check back later.

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